Vatican releases letter condemning euthanasia (Vatican News) On Tuesday, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced the publication of a Letter approved by Pope Francis on 25 June and entitled Samaritanus bonus (“TheGood Samaritan”): On the Care of Persons in the Critical and Terminal Phases of Life”. It bears 14 July as its publication date, in honor of St Camillus de Lellis, the patron saint of the sick, hospitals, nurses and physicians. “Incurable cannot mean that care has come at an end” – those who are terminally ill have the right to be welcomed, cured, loved. This is affirmed in Part One of Samaritanus bonus. The letter aims to provide concrete ways to put into practice the parable of the Good Samaritan, who teaches us that “even when a cure is unlikely or impossible”, medical care, nursing care, psychological and spiritual care “should never be forsaken”…
Chaput praises Barr: ‘He’s disliked by all the right people’ (The Washington Times) The archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia on Monday heaped praise on Attorney General William P. Barr, saying the nation’s top law enforcement officer embodies his Catholic faith. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput hailed Mr. Barr, a Catholic, as a man of faith who can help the church meet the challenges it faces in an increasingly secular society…
Vatican criticizes call for Catholic-Protestant intercommunion (CNA) The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has criticized an appeal by German theologians for intercommunion between Catholics and Protestants. In a letter to Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German bishops’ conference, the CDF said that the proposal did not do justice to the Catholic understanding of the Church, the Eucharist, and Holy Orders. ..
Catholic priest takes on COVID fight in Hindu city (RNS) Wearing a lilac tunic with a coarse cotton towel around his neck, the Rev. Anand Mathew directed actors from his theater troupe recently in a village on the outskirts of this polyglot sacred city on the banks of the Ganges. The 61-year-old Catholic activist priest and playwright was staging an Indian mythological drama to explain COVID-19 to Varanasi’s poor, many of them Muslims and other religious minorities disproportionately affected by the virus…
Aymond: How Catholics should approach the election (The Advocate) As Christians, we believe in the values handed on to us by Jesus and our tradition. I invite the faithful and all people of goodwill to study carefully the information from the bishops’ conference and, through prayer, make a responsible decision based on a well-formed conscience in the upcoming election…
